Life after birth : Baby blues

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The baby blues are a period of mild depression which can
occur about three or four days after your baby is born.
About 50% - 80% of all mothers go through a patch of baby
blues which lasts for a few hours, or, at most, for a few
days and then it disappears.

The blues may have several causes, some biological and
some emotional.
When a baby is born, there are very sudden changes in the
mother's hormone levels. Some, required during pregnancy,
drop rapidly, while others like those which start the
production of milk, rise. These rapid changes may act to
trigger the blues.

Many mothers are unprepared for the extreme weariness
which often follows a birth. The weariness is usually due
to a combination of factors. In many cases the mother will
have been anticipating the birth with some apprehension.
This, as well as the physical exertion of the birth itself,
can make mothers feel exhausted. To add to this discomfort
could be sore stitches, sore breasts and muscular ache.

Rest and quiet are most important after a birth. Few
mothers get either, as they are busy responding to the
needs of the baby, or, when they might be able to rest,
they are disturbed by hospital or home routines or by
visitors who may stay too long.

Sometimes the baby may have a slight health problem such
as jaundice or feeding difficulties in the early days.
These problems are very common with new babies, but they
cause mothers great anxiety. The problems do settle down as
the baby gets older and mothers should try to talk to
medical staff and allow themselves to be reassured that the
baby will thrive.

A new mother may feel that she will be unable to cope
when at home alone with the baby. This is especially the
case with first time mothers. Often the promise of
practical help from family and friends can ease the
situation, and as the mother learns how to cope at home her
feelings of depression lift.

If the mother is worrying about her ability to support
the baby financially she can get advice from the social
worker in hospital or from her health visitor when she
returns home from the hospital. Many mothers are unaware of
the range of benefits to which they are entitled once they
have had a baby.

Another reason could include the feeling of anti-climax
after the birth of the baby.

Mothers who have the blues should be allowed to cry if
they want to and allowed to express their fluctuating
emotions. If they feel miserable they should not be told to
pull themselves together. It can be a great help to a
mother if someone listens to her and reassures her that her
worries and misery will not last and she will soon feel
better.

A mother who has the blues must have as much rest as
possible. It may also help the mother is she is told that
the blues are very common and that they usually pass
quickly.

Affected mothers are often over-sensitive about what is
said to them by relatives and medical staff. So tact and
empathy from the staff can be very beneficial at this
time.

Make sure that people around the mother know that she is
going through a bad patch. A sympathetic ear, a reassuring
hug is all it takes to snap out of the baby blues. The
community midwife may also be able to provide useful
advice.

Generally baby blues fade away in a couple of days and
soon the mother will start enjoying her baby.